Bird keeping Questions and Answers

Author: Pets Parade Team

Our expert panel provides answers to the most commonly asked queries on bird keeping.
The following are a small selection of commonly asked queries about birds and bird keeping, The cage bird Questions & Answers manual supplies detailed information on all the commonly asked questions on bird keeping and is highly recommended by petsparade.co.uk. You can purchase this and many other pet titles from our books section.

Can I keep a mixed aviary of budgies, canaries and finches?
Many bird keeping articles will tell you that you can keep these types of birds in a mixed aviary only if you do not allow them to breed. If you put up nest boxes and encourage the birds to breed the budgies will almost certainly go into the other birds nest boxes and kill or attack their young. Canaries and finches will coexist peacefully and there should be no conflicts even if you decide to breed them.

What species of parrot makes the best pet and talks the best?
It is generally agreed that the African Grey parrot is the best talker in the parrot family, although ability differs greatly between individuals and there is no guarantee that yours will talk particularly well. The question of the "best" pet parrot is less easy to answer, as this will depend to a great extent on your personal circumstances. Amazon parrots generally make good pets but can be very noisy, not the best choice if you have close neighbours! The same applies to cockatoos and macaws and some members of these families also grow to a very large size and require spacious living quarters. African Greys are generally quieter than many other parrots and may be the best choice when loud noise could cause a nuisance. With all these species, younger birds make much better pets than adults and it is well worth trying to purchase a baby parrot if at all possible and preferably one that has been captive bred. A bird of more than a couple of years old that is not already tame will take a lot longer to tame and may never make a good pet.

Can I keep my aviary birds outside all year round?
Most of the commonly kept aviary birds such as canaries, budgies, cockatiels, zebra finches any many types of parakeet can be safely over wintered provided a few basic rules are followed.
The birds must initially be placed outside in the late spring or summer to allow them to gradually acclimatise, moving birds from indoor accommodation to an outdoor aviary in the winter will almost certainly lead to mortalities. The aviary needs to be sheltered from the wind and rain on three sides and high perches provided well back under shelter for the birds to roost at night. Some species such as Gouldian finches require heated accommodation in the winter and it is important to research the needs of specific species before deciding on the type of housing required.

Can I feed my parrot on any foods other than seeds?
It is a good idea to offer a varied diet and parrots can be fed on many types of fruit and pulses in addition to their standard seed. Ask advice from a health food shop on the preparation of pulses before feeding, there are also specialist pellet foods no available which are used by many people either in conjunction with seed or as a replacement. When offering a new food be prepared to be patient as many parrots are extremely reluctant to try new food items and you should only introduce a new diet gradually over a period of several weeks.

Is it true that male budgies talk better than females?
No, this is a bit of an old wives tale, both male and female budgies can be taught to talk equally well and any differences are more between individual abilities rather than between the sexes.

How can I tell the sex of a budgie?
Male budgies have a blue band across the top of their beak (the cere), females have a brown band. These colours become more pronounced with age and there may only be very slight colouration in a baby budgie.

Can I keep more than one pair of lovebirds together?
Despite their name lovebirds can be very aggressive towards each other and if kept in a cage should only be kept one pair per cage. If housed outside it is possible to keep several lovebirds together but 3 or more pairs should be housed together, keeping just two pairs will usually lead to a high level of aggression. You must ensure that each pair has a nest box of its own or fighting over boxes will occur.

Why is it advised that birds should be not kept in the kitchen?
Fumes given off from non-stick cooking utensils can prove fatal to pet birds.

If you have any more questions feel free to contact us.

Aquarium

Koi & Pond

Reptiles

Dogs

Small Animals

Cats

Birds

Books

Bird keeping Questions and Answers

Other articles by Pets Parade Team